


Succession

by DanjaBlue



Series: Beta Blues [3]
Category: Star Trek: Picard
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Episode: s01e05 Stardust City Rag, Family, Humor, Organized Crime, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:02:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22931446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanjaBlue/pseuds/DanjaBlue
Summary: Seven meets Jay's daughter.  R&R.
Series: Beta Blues [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1643098
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

Seven sat staring at the bottle of bourbon sitting on her coffee table.

Jean-Luc's words earlier that day stung her. _Be the warrior Icheb looked up to._

_What are you_ DOING? Seven thought. _This isn't solving anything. It's most certainly not going to bring Icheb back._

Seven continued to stare at the bottle. _You have the crew of the Sirena counting on you._

_Picard is over the hill. You can do things_ HE _can't!_

Seven touched a button on the coffee table. A holographic image of Bjayzl's organizational chart suddenly appeared before her.

Seven drew an X with her finger in midair across Jay's picture at the top of the chart. 

SHE'S _done_ , Seven thought. _Who's the next contestant?_

Just to the left of Bjayzl, a picture of her daughter Brexar sat suspended in midair.

Brexar was in her early twenties. She had hazel eyes, a thin nose, an olive complexion, and her mother's long dark brown hair.

_Not much of a threat now_ , Seven thought. _Though_ _she's_ VERY _good at spending Mom's_ _money_. 

_She's more interested in the latest Alexander McQueen handbags than she is in running a business._

_What's going to happen once she's cut off financially? What will she do if someone turns off the tap?_

Seven touched a button on the coffee table and the chart disappeared.

Seven glanced over at the bottle of bourbon. _Would you want_ ICHEB _seeing you like this?_ she thought.

_Picard, I can take or leave,_ Seven thought. _I'm more worried about his crew._

_They're young enough to be his kids and grandkids!_

Seven made a decision. She picked up the bottle of bourbon, walked over to the sink, and poured the contents of the bottle down the drain.

_They need me,_ Seven thought.


	2. Chapter 2

“I’m so glad all of you are here to join me today,” said Brexar. She sat at the head of a long rectangular table. Seated around the table were her mother’s top lieutenants, the combined Executive Board of her mother's companies.

The table was covered in a white tablecloth. The table was set for a lavish banquet. On the table sat fruit, wine, the finest meat and fish. The places were set with the finest crystal, silverware, and china.

Two waiters wearing white stood in on either side of the door next to their serving carts.

The conversation around the table was lively and animated.

"If you'll excuse me, I _REALLY_ do have to take a call," said Brexar as she got up to leave. 

As she left the room through a side door, the two waiters produced phaser rifles from their respective serving carts.

The two waiters opened fire on everyone remaining in the room.

* * *

"He's traveling on a ship called the _La Sirena_ ," said Mr. Vup. He, Brexar, and Baldon -- one of Brexar's bodyguards -- were in Brexar's office (formerly Bjayzl 's office).

"You're making a mistake," said Baldon. "You _KNOW_ this is going to get back to Seven of Nine _EVENTUALLY_."

"So?" Brexar asked coquettishly. She sat crossways in the massive wood-and-leather executive chair behind her mother's desk, her legs dangling over the armrests.

"Your _MOTHER_ crossed her," said Baldon. "She paid with her _LIFE_." He then added, "Seven's _DANGEROUS_."

"If anything happens to him, you're risking a MURDER charge," Baldon continued. " _TORTURE_ was enough to get your MOTHER killed. How do you think Seven's going to handle _MURDER_?

"You're playing with _FIRE_."

"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it," purred Brexar. She then hissed, "Take him."


	3. Chapter 3

"He beamed out before I could do anything," said a terrified Elnor once he was back aboard the Sirena. "I feel terrible about this.

"I'm bound to him. I failed."

"Calm down. We'll get him," said Rios. He then commanded Raffi, "Call Seven of Nine. She's gonna want to know about this."

* * *

  
  


"Do you remember what she looked like?" Seven asked Elnor. 

"Thin. Five three, five four," Elnor replied. "Long dark hair."

"What color were her eyes?"

"I couldn't tell. It was a dark room," Elnor replied. "She kissed him and then she and Jean-Luc beamed out."

"Captain, have they made any demands?" Seven asked Rios.

"Raffi, check the messages," Rios commanded.

Raffi checked the comm. "Nothing since JL was taken," she replied.

"If they want money, they'll make demands," said Seven.

"What if they don't want money?" Raffi asked. "What if they want to kill him?" 

"If they kill him, they'll announce it," Seven replied. "Jean-Luc is a celebrity. Killing him would be an accomplishment. It would mean bragging rights for a whole lot of people."

"I feel awful about this," said Elnor. "I'm bound to him. I'm sworn to protect him.

"I failed."

"Calm down. We'll get him," said Seven. She then told Rios, "Captain, I want you to trace all incoming transmissions."

"Raffi, put a tracer on all incoming transmissions," Rios commanded.

"Yes, Captain," said Raffi as she went to work.

  
  


"Where's Jean-Luc?" Dr. Jurati asked as she climbed up from Sirena's lower level. "I thought he was with you."

  
  


"He's been kidnapped," Rios replied

  
  


" _KIDNAPPED?"_

  
  


"Where was everyone when this took place?" Seven asked.

  
  


"Dr. Jurati and I were here, Raffi was in Freecloud with her son …" Rios replied.

  
  


"Jean-Luc and I were in Quark's," said Elnor. "That's where this took place."

  
  


"Incoming transmission," said Raffi.

  
  


_"TRACE IT!"_ Rios commanded.

  
  


"You want to see Admiral Picard alive again," said a menacing male voice over the comm. "You have five hours to give us five million in Latinum."

  
  


The transmission ended after that.

  
  


"Captain, did she get a source for that?" Seven asked.

  
  


"Raffi … " Rios began.

  
  


"Hold on," said Raffi. "It came from a ship … the Delta Three … It's out of transporter range."

  
  


_Now we're getting somewhere_ , Seven thought. "Who's she owned by?" she asked.

  
  


"A company … Morningstar Electronics," Raffi replied as she searched the comm.

  
  


_Morningstar … One of Bjayzl's shell companies_ , Seven thought.

  
  


"Know them?" Rios asked Seven.

  
  


"One of Bjayzl's shell companies," Seven replied.

  
  


"Isn't she _DEAD?"_ Rios asked.

  
  


"She is," Seven replied. "We might be dealing with her daughter."

  
  


"Her _DAUGHTER?"_

  
  


"She has a daughter named Brexar," said Seven. She then asked, "Captain, is Jean-Luc on Freecloud?"

  
  


"Raffi, scan for Jean-Luc," Rios commanded.

  
  


"He's not on Freecloud," Raffi replied "He's out of transporter range.

"He's gone … "

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

"Jean-Luc lives on Earth, in the Alpha Quadrant," said Seven. "We can use that to our advantage."

"How?" Rios asked.

"We can stall for time," Seven replied. "Explain to them that the money is on Earth and that's it's going to take time to move five million in Latinum from the Alpha Quadrant to the Beta Quadrant."

"How much time are we talking about here?" Rios asked.

"How long does it take to get to Taltos Five?" Seven asked.

"What's on Taltos Five?" Rios inquired.

"Bjayzl had a compound there," Seven explained. "Brexar is probably keeping Jean-Luc there."

"Raffi, what's our ETA on Taltos Five?" Rios asked Raffi.

"Four hours, twenty-two minutes," Raffi replied.

"Send a message to the kidnappers," Seven commanded. "Tell them we need at least seventy-two hours to complete the transaction."

"You sure about this?" Rios asked.

"It's no small thing to move five million in Latinum across quadrants," Seven replied. "Banks have regulations and procedures that must be followed."

"Raffi, hail the Delta Three. Open a channel," Rios commanded.

"Channel open, Sir," Raffi replied.

"Delta Three, this is Sirena," said Rios. "We need seventy-two hours."

"Five hours. No more," came the reply.

"I don't _CARE_ what you want," Rios replied flippantly. "You want your money, it's going to take at _LEAST_ seventy-two hours to complete the transaction.

"The money's on Earth, in the Alpha Quadrant. It's going to take at _LEAST_ that long to move it from the Alpha Quadrant to the Beta Quadrant."

"We'll forward the message to our leader. Delta Three out," came the reply. The transmission then ended afterwards.

"You think they bought it?" Rios asked Seven.

"Brexar's greedy," Seven replied. "She wants her money, she'll wait."

* * *

" _NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT!"_ Brexar fumed over the transceiver in her compound on Taltos Five. "Five hours … No more!"

"Brexar, you're asking a lot from Sirena," came the reply from Delta Three. "The money is in the Alpha Quadrant. You're asking them to move five million in Latinum from the Alpha Quadrant to the Beta Quadrant.

"It's going to take time."

"I don't _HAVE_ time!" Brexar shouted over the transceiver.

"It's out of Sirena's hands," the Delta Three replied. "They need at _LEAST_ seventy-two hours."

Brexar sighed. "Fine ... Whatever," Brexar snapped. "Seventy-two hours."

* * *

"I've just received a message from Delta Three," said Raffi. "We have seventy-two hours."

"Thank you, Raffi," said Rios.

"Nice work," said Seven.

"I wasn't acting," Rios replied. He then added, "How the Hell are we gonna get five million in Latinum?" 

"We're not," Seven replied calmly.

"We're _NOT?_ " 

"You give her money, she'll keep coming back for more," Seven explained. "She'll keep coming back until she drains Jean-Luc dry."

"What happens once we reach Taltos Five?" Rios asked.

"I go to _WORK,_ " Seven replied.


	5. Chapter 5

_TALTOS FIVE_

_BETA QUADRANT_

  
  


"It's after nightfall on the compound," Seven announced.

"I'm coming with you," said Elnor. "I'm bound to Jean-Luc. I'm his protector.

"I _NEED_ to be there."

"C'mon, take the kid," said Rios. "Even _YOU_ need backup.

"If anything happens to you, who's gonna pull out Jean-Luc?"

"Ever use firearms?" Seven asked Elnor. "What good is a sword going to do against someone who's shooting at you from a hundred paces?"

"I'm trained to use firearms," Elnor replied. "A skilled warrior knows how to use more than one type of weapon."

"One room on the ground floor appears to be heavily fortified," said Raffi as she looked over the sensor array. "The walls are four feet thick. I'm detecting the presence of three lifeforms inside the room."

_Brexar, Jean-Luc, and one of her bodyguards_ , Seven thought.

"Looks like a panic room," said Seven. She then asked, "Is there anyone else on the grounds besides those three?" 

"Negative," Raffi replied.

_I intend to_ KEEP _it that way,_ Seven thought. Visions of Brexar pressing an alarm button and fifty guards suddenly beaming into the house filled Seven's mind.

Rios walked over to the replicator and commanded, "Computer, night-vision goggles."

A pair of night-vision goggles appeared in the replicator.

"Who are _THOSE_ for?" Seven asked.

"Elnor," Rios replied. "The house is gonna be pitch-black."

"I'm appointing you an Auxiliary Ranger," said Seven to Elnor.

* * *

Elnor and Seven beamed into the pitch-black house. They beamed into an alcove that was located just to the right of the panic room.

Elnor and Seven each brandished phaser rifles. Elnor wore the night-vision goggles that Rios had earlier produced in the replicator (he lacked Seven's Borg-issued night vision).

Raffi had earlier shut down the house's electrical, security, and telecommunications systems.

The panic room ran on auxiliary power. The small amount of power that operated it was deemed essential to opening the panic room's thick, heavy door when the time came.

"The panic room is just to your left," said Raffi in Seven's earpiece.

"Captain, I need Raffi to open the door of the panic room," said Seven, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm on it," Raffi replied in Seven's earpiece.

* * *

Brexar, Mr. Vup, and Jean-Luc were gathered together inside the panic room. Jean-Luc was sitting bound, gagged, blindfolded, and handcuffed in a chair.

The heavy door of the panic room suddenly began to open and slide into the outside wall.

"What's going _ON_?" Brexar shrieked in terror as the door began to open. "I didn't open the door!"

_"FENRIS RANGERS! PUT YOUR HANDS UP!"_ Seven shouted as she and Elnor filled the doorway of the panic room, rifles aimed at Brexar and Mr. Vup. " _PUT YOUR HANDS UP NOW!"_

Brexar and Mr. Vup suddenly found themselves staring down the barrels of Seven's and Elnor's phaser rifles.

"Mr. Vup, _DO_ something!" Brexar cried.

Mr. Vup beamed out of the room, leaving Brexar to face an armed Seven and Elnor alone.

Brexar stamped her foot and snapped, "Fine! _BE_ that way!" She herself beamed out of the room after Mr. Vup.

Elnor rushed in and tended to Jean-Luc. Seven tapped her earpiece and said, "Seven of Nine to La Sirena … Three to beam up."


	6. Chapter 6

"Forgive me, Jean-Luc," said Elnor as he stood next to Jean-Luc's bed. "I've failed you."

"What have you done?" Jean-Luc asked. He was lying in bed in his quarters, recovering from his ordeal. "You and Seven got me away from Brexar."

"It should have never gotten to that point!" Elnor exclaimed. "I should've done more to stop her."

"She surprised the both of us," said Seven. She stood against the wall of Jean-Luc's quarters across from his bed. "I underestimated her.

"She surprised _ME_."

"I have _BOTH_ of you to thank for rescuing me from her," said Jean-Luc.

"You're welcome, Jean-Luc," said Seven. She then added, "If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work."

Seven then walked out the door.

  
  


THE END


End file.
